Walk Beside Me
by Center of the Galaxy
Summary: "It had happened suddenly. Sam had been upright one second, talking about a new hunt a few towns over and the next thing his older brother knew, he was on the ground, barely breathing and his pulse fading fast." *Limp!Sam, Bigbrother!Dean, Awesome!Castiel. One-shot. No slash!*


_**Author's Note: **__I like short stories a lot. They throw you into the action and can accomplish a lot in the shortest amount of time. Anyways, I may be writing more stories like this. Hope you enjoy! Also, this is my first time writing as Cas so forgive me if he seems out of character! This is set in season 5, but contains no spoilers for it. I'm not a doctor so sorry if my medical information is incorrect! Fair warning: there is a lot of shameless fluff in here, but I honestly had a blast writing it. I love fluff so much! Please enjoy!_

* * *

_**Castiel: **__The answer is still no. Because Sam is my friend._

—"_The Song Remains the Same"_

_o0o_

_"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." _

_― Albert Camus  
_

* * *

It had happened suddenly.

Sam had been upright one second, talking about a new hunt a few towns over and the next thing his older brother knew, he was on the ground. Instantly, Dean was at his side, checking him for a pulse while simultaneously calling out his name to no avail. Sam didn't so much as flinch and his pulse was weak and erratic—all signs which led to nothing good.

"Sam, can you hear me? Dude, open your eyes!" Dean pleaded as he tried to locate whatever it was that had caused this to happen. "Sam, dammit, please! You don't get to check out like this, you hear me?"

In typical stubborn little brother style, Sam remained unconscious. If Dean hadn't been so panicked, he might've sarcastically commented upon this fact, but as it was, this was no joking matter.

Seconds became minutes. At the five-minute mark, Dean had crossed the threshold from "somewhat panicked" to "full-blown meltdown". His brother's heartbeat was slowing down, his skin was becoming clammy—they were running out of time. At the rate Sam was going, an ambulance wouldn't arrive in time, which meant that there was only one option left.

"Cas, I need your help. We're in Indiana at the—"

"Dean," Cas was suddenly beside him, kneeling and staring at Sam with concern evident in his eyes. "Sam is unwell." On any other occasion Dean would've retorted with a "No shit, Sherlock" but he didn't have it in his heart to say it—not when his baby brother was fading away right in front of them.

"He needs a hospital," Dean explained. "Can you—?"

"Understood." Castiel replied, gently picking up a limp Sam into his arms. Dean bit back the fear as Sam's head lolled listlessly to the side in the angel's arms.

"It's going to be okay, Sammy," Dean soothed as he gripped the angel's arm. "We're getting you help."

And suddenly, they were in the emergency room.

* * *

It became a big blur after that. Nurses took his little brother away muttering about needing a cardiologist and heart problems. Dean took to pacing the length of the waiting room, trying to focus his thoughts and remain firmly rooted in the here and now, not in the what-ifs. Throughout it all, Castiel remained. When Dean questioned about it, the angel simply shrugged.

"Sam is my friend. If he is unwell, then I must stay until he is better." It was simple logic—almost childlike—but it brought a small smile to Dean's lips.

* * *

Two hours, 45 minutes, and 35 seconds after they had rushed Sam to the emergency room, the doctor finally came out and took them aside to explain what was wrong.

"Heart what?" Dean asked, feeling a mix of worry and anger over this diagnosis.

"Arrhythmia," The doctor repeated. "Basically, Sam's heart began to beat too slow which caused a lack of blood to circulate which led to him fainting."

"Shit." Dean cursed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Will Sam be plagued by this problem again?" Castiel questioned and the doctor shot him an odd glance, but shook his head.

"The good news is that the arrhythmia seems to have dissipated on its own," Dean sighed with relief. "I'd like to monitor him for a few more hours, but if he's still stable, we'll be able to release him."

"So, what caused it?" Dean pressed.

"We're running tests right now, but it could be a number of factors."

"Can we see him?" He questioned and the doctor nodded.

"Down the hall and first door on the left."

* * *

Sam was hooked up to more machines that Dean had thought possible. Countless monitors beeped and whirred as a green line showed his little brother's breathing and his heart rate. An oxygen mask fogged slightly with each breath that Sam took and Dean felt himself nearly topple into the bedside chair. He gently grabbed Sam's hand within his own and squeezed it, silently letting his brother know that he wasn't alone in this.

"He will recover." Castiel stated, almost as if he knew that those were the words that Dean needed to hear.

"Damn right he will." Dean vowed. Castiel pulled up another chair and sat next to Dean, staring intently at Sam.

* * *

When Sam did finally open awaken an hour and 25 minutes later, two pairs of concerned eyes scanned him.

"Jesus, Sam," Dean swore, finally allowing himself to relax now that the immediate danger had passed. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry." Sam apologized. Dean said nothing, letting the relief in his eyes do the talking and Castiel titled his head to the side in confusion.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Castiel informed him. "You did not cause the problem. Your heart simply malfunctioned due to—" Sam chuckled dryly and even Dean smirked at that one.

"I meant, for worrying you two." Sam interrupted and Castiel nodded, understanding evident on his face.

"Just don't do that again." Dean told him and Sam smiled softly.

"Agreed," Castiel added. "I must admit, it was disturbing seeing you so sickly, Sam."

"Go back to sleep, Sammy," Dean ordered quietly, seeing how Sam's eyes were drooping. "We'll be here when you wake up."

Sam was already asleep before Dean finished his sentence.

* * *

"Cas?" They were back at the motel now as Sam had been discharged with a clean bill of health.

"Yes?" The angel asked. Sam had fallen asleep once had returned, clearly still exhausted from his ordeal.

"Thanks."

"You do not need to thank me," Castiel replied. "Sam is my friend. I have to help him as much as I can." With that, Castiel vanished once more.

Dean simply smiled and resumed his post once more at Sam's bedside. Pride flushed within him. His brother—his geeky brother—had managed to get an angel who used to believe he was an "abomination" to become his friend.

Looks like they weren't as alone as they once thought they were.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__There are relatively few stories out there with Castiel being Sam's friend. I understand why though because on the show, Castiel is shown having a deeper bond with Dean; however, I like to think that he cares just as much for Sam as he does for Dean. Anyways, this concludes my shameless excuse for fluff. If you have a second, I'd love to know what you thought! Please review! _


End file.
